Expiration Date Overdued !
by aniki19
Summary: a little background history on my fav molecular,Jesse and more. Chpt 6 is short n maybe a little bit bitter
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimers : U guys know e routine…MX n its characters doesn't belong to me but to their respective owners…sigh! I'm only borrowing them for this non-profiting story of mine.

Oh yeah…this plot also has some reference to Laily's " One Step Behind" (great plot! please read it) and

Vega5's "The Flood" (very sad somehow…but nice…please read that too) and the many good authors out there whom I forgot to mention for the history of Jesse's character. erm…might also contain spoilers from… "the Assault" though I have yet to watch it…I only know e extended summary thks to tv.tome.

Hmm…Adam always implied that all the new mutants were the by-product of his experiments with DNA,rite? He also mentioned that without his intervention in their genetic makeup, they'll probably had died of some disease or something. So I've always wondered what sort of 'condition' our dear old Jesse suffered from; so much so that they had to tamper with his genetic codes to stabilise his "condition". So; this little story of mine is an attempt to explore this little unknown background of our (well, if not mine) favourite character.

Well…tt's abt it…enjoy…n don't forget to review, k?

Note : mistakes in grammar n etc are to be expected. Don't say I didn't warn u…this was done in the wee hours of the morning…so expect the unexpected…hehehe…man, I have got to stop eating chocolates…they're giving me such a high; I can't sleep! lol!

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Expiration Date

By aniki19

Chpt 1 : Reminiscing the Past

"Ouch!" Jesse exclaimed; his head having hit something hard. He had woken up under his bed this morning. This wasn't the first time it had happened and it won't be the last either, he sighed. He got up and walked to the bathroom. As he's brushing his teeth, he wondered whether he should tell Adam about it and promptly decide against it. No way…he thought. I can just imagine the amount of 'babying' I'll get ; visualizing the tests and scanning that will be done if he does exactly that. Besides, it doesn't hurt that much; just a dull ache in his chest. Must be I'm still growing, he added bemuse, turning the shower on.

Sighing, he came out from the bathroom; drying his hair with his towel and stopped to pick his clothes. Suddenly he gasp sharply and clasp his chest. He started phasing uncontrollably and collapsed on the floor.

Breath, Jesse, breathe; he told himself. Come on, you're in control here. Focus Jesse, focus.

Calming himself down to breathe; pushing away the panic that's rising ; he took a deep breathe, saw dark spots and then everything went black.

Adam looked on at his young ward lying on the bed in the med bay; he had Jesse hooked up to half a dozen contraptions to monitor his conditions and he shook his head. "I'm sorry Jesse, your time's almost up" he whispered to himself. Sighing, he moved back to his usual place in the med bay and tried once again to stabilise Jesse's condition. He couldn't help but recall his involvement in Jesse's life.

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Twenty-five years ago, in a certain building that shall remain anonymous; a brilliant scientist was engrosses in his work when ---

"And who are the couple we're meeting today, Mason?" Adam inquired to his bespectacled colleague; looking up from one of his many experiments.

Mason gave him a grin, "A very wealthy couple". He glance down at his clipboard and, "The Kilmartins; apparent Mr and Mrs Noah Kilmartin have been having trouble conceiving and they've come to us as a last resort".

That figures, what with the exuberant fees we charge them, who wouldn't want us to be the last resort. Adam noted sourly. Well, at least this time it's someone who could afford those fees and possibly more…he thought as he did a quick background check on the couple's profile. Both of them were from two of the most influential family in the whole of the state and their marriage had sealed the deal, so as to speak. Unfortunately, in the five years they've been married, they have yet to be blessed with any child---the ultimate icing on the cake---and rumours are threatening to break their marriage (cum partnership) apart.

After running several weeks of tests on the couple, the genetic codes( i.e. the egg n the sperm, blue eyes from mom, dirty blonde hair from dad, bla, bla, blah) from both of them and a little ingenuity of the researchers; Mrs Kilmartin was pregnant. Both parties were thrilled of the results and everything seems to be going according to schedule. The baby, a boy---the Kilmartins had insisted on the sex to carry on the legacy of the family---was growing up steadily up till his third month when his mother nearly had a miscarriage.

Mrs Kilmartin was having difficulty with this pregnancy. She has a history of a weak heart and her pregnancy was putting undue stress on her heart. Adam tried one of his new treatments on her and it seemed to ease the pain a little but he could tell it wasn't doing much to rectify the problem. By the time she was in her fifth month; it was evident that continuing the pregnancy would endanger both mother and child.

In her sixth month, the situation got so dire that they had to induced her to a premature birth; reassuring both anxious parents that it was the best solution to the problem at hand. And so, on the 19th of November 1994, Jesse David Alexander Kilmartin II was born prematurely, weighing only 2.1 kilos. He was immediately put in an incubator while his mother was having her well deserved rest.

Alas, the boy was born with poorly developed set of lungs which made his respiratory system; including his heart, extremely weak. It would seem as though all of their hard effort would have gone down the drain had not Adam suggested to try a revolutionary new technique of genetic science that he had developed on the baby. Of course, he also warned the parents of the possible side effects as this treatment was still in the testing stage and though results have been positive, side effects in the possible future are inevitable. Adam, however, managed to exclude some possibilities of the side effects from the written contract before administering baby Jesse to the required treatments.

Within a few days, Jesse's condition was improving. By a week, he was off life support and was breathing on his own. Within a month, he was ready to go home.

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O.k…tt's it for now…u guys want more? Should I continue? please, please tell me…k? so now…I'm gonna catch some sleep.nite!

14/06/04

02:34


	2. Chpt 2 Here and Now

Disclamer : see default chpt

Still with the history of our favourite molecular (at least in my books). Please feel free to add any other information I might have left out in ur reviews…coz this is all purely speculations.

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Chpt 2 : Here and Now

By aniki19

"Adam, what's wrong with Jesse?" Shalimar enquired of her 'brother'; startling Adam from his reverie. "You startled me," Adam glanced up from his work to look at Shal. "Nothing's wrong with him, he fainted from exhaustion and I'm just hooking him up as a precaution." he tried to soothed the feral.

Shalimar was not fooled; sure, they had been pretty busy the past couple of weeks and Adam had given Jesse more check-ups than usual, she couldn't help it but feel suspicious. Hmm, two can play the same game, "O.k. sure, whatever you say" before she stormed out of the room; a slight frown on her face.

Adam gave a weary sigh and took Jesse's temperature. He frowned and proceeded to administer a vial of liquid through his I.V. He consulted the monitors to further evaluate the situation. Seeing Jesse lying on the bed; evoke even more memories from his recesses.

The bouncing toddler had improved tremendously those few months and he had continued the genetic treatment on his parents insistence. His respiratory organs were in the bloom of health and he felt that he would soon miss Jesse's giggles when he went for his final check-up this week.

After much struggle with the little imp; Adam finally had a fresh sample of Jesse's blood. He offered the toddler a lollypop and ruffled his blond hair. Jesse sulked but eyed the lolly before grabbing it from the offender with a charming grin. Adam laughed and carried the toddler out into the waiting room where his anxious mother was waiting.

"He's as healthy as he'll ever be, Mrs Kilmartin. I've taken his blood sample and after running some tests on it, and if all goes well, we shouldn't be seeing anymore of each other." he reassured Jesse's mother. "Now if only you could find a cure for his immiscible curiosity" she gave him a quick smile, before running off to her child who had already made his way to the exit. She gave him an apologetic glance before waving goodbye.

Back in the safety of his laboratory, Adam ran some random tests on the blood sample collected. Looking at the results, he frowned. Taking a small drop of blood on a slab, he inserted it under a microscope. That's weird; he thought. His blood was different. Instead of him having the normal count of red blood cells and the such, he has an additional substance in the sample. He proceeded to separate the unknown matter from the blood.

He had come across this matter before; other blood samples from other children that had the same genetic treatments as Jesse had also showed the same results. So far, he had concluded that they had helped the child by improving their health and he hope that they will stay that way.

When Jesse was about eight, his worried mother made an appointment with Adam to discuss something. Jesse has developed a habit of dropping things and breaking them and apparently, she quote, " It slipped out of my fingers!". She had thought nothing of it and blamed it on a bout of clumsiness until the other day when he was resting on the bark of a tree after a game of basketball with his dad when he suddenly fell through the tree trunk and came out the other side on the ground. She noted that he was breathing heavily at that moment in time. She wants to know the truth. What is going on? Is it a relapse? Is his lungs? What?!

Adam finally confided in her. He had done several tests on Jesse's blood sample the last time he went for his check-up and had found that his genetic makeup or his DNA has changed; it has mutated, thus giving the individuals special gifts as a result. He further illustrated to her that he had grouped these mutations into four basic elements; feral, elemental, psionic and molecular. It seems that Jesse had fallen into the molecular category and such incidents were a part of his 'growth spurts'. For now, he promised her that these mutations have yet to be life threatening.

When Jesse was about twelve, he suffered an agonising 'growth spurt' that had Adam concerned. A few months back, one of his first patients, also a molecular, died due to his unstable genes. He was only twenty four. As more and more reports were brought in, he concluded that moleculars are the most unstable in the four mutations. Adam vowed to make it his personal mission to find a cure or at least prolonged the live of his favourite patient. Unfortunately, it was also during this time that he was having some problems with Genomex and within a matter of weeks, he had to leave. He lost all his research materials and had to start from scratch. Worse, he had lost all privileges to future contact with the Kilmartins.

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Laily : I'm being a little bit nostalgic at this moment in time so please! Bear with me…I will get to the present sooner or later, k?I'm still decided what e rest of e guys will say…when r u gonna finish with "one step behind"? huh?!!!! hurry up!!!!please..?!!! I'll sent u a wallpaper of Jesse if u do…grins

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Falconwolf3: Sigh! I will get try to get some sleep but sometimes my imagination gets the better of me, u know? Anyway, loved, loved, loved ur story…make sure Jesse doesn't die but be sure to torture him good, k? winks

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Felineferal : My 1st reviewer of the day! Always look forward to ur comments…when r u gonna continue wif "secrets untold"? and…"time jump" I need to know…did Jesse really died? Not one but 2 Jesses. U have to justify urself!

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koalared : hey thanks! I will keep going, if only to keep ur interest (as if! I'll still continue even if u didn't like e story..lol!). Always a pleasure to hear from u.

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Fanofbuffy : Glad u find it interesting…rest assured I will be continuing.. evil laughter in background lol!

Yup, that's about it this time for e reviews (am I disappointed…hmm…not so much; at least I still have u guys). Thank you so much for the encouraging reviews, u guys! Buy urself some chocolates, k? If u happened to be on a diet, don't worry, rewards don't count as calories. I'm still thinking about the next chpt…so bear wit me?

19/06/04

02:14

Now I'm going to bed. yawns


	3. Chpt 3 Rescue

Disclaimer : Wish I could say I did but I owe nothing but the plot…sigh…

Oooppss…sorry I kinda took a little longer then usual but I was busy…(or was it lazy) with work n school…and (gasp) I had a block…so I did loads of reading…to improve my situation…and I guess it finally paid off!lol! Soo sorry to keep any of u guys waiting but the genius needs time to work things through (hahaha). Well, so enjoy!

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Chpt 3 : Rescue

**By aniki19**

Three years later; Adam learned that the Kilmartins were back in contact with Genomex. His one time partner and friend, Eckhart owed him a favour and let slip this little 'information' about the Kilmartins as payback.

Apparently, Jesse had been sent to a private preparatory school in the countryside. The Kilmartins have been going to Wentworth Preparatory School For Boys for generations. Jesse's grandfather was one of its board members and coincidently, one of its most generous contributors; so it seems only appropriate to sent Jesse there for the "right" kind of education. Wentworth, besides being well known as a boarding school for the elite and wealthy is also recognise as a school whose motto includes discipline, integrity, and respect with a slight incline to emphasis on economics, financial and business management in their academic curriculum. In short, the "right" kind of school for the "right" kind of people.

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Jesse was miserable. He hadn't wanted to be sent away and after the little incident at home; he had felt guilty that he had accelerated the process. He had begged his mother not to sent him but his dad had been firm and two weeks after the incident, he was shipped to a part of America he didn't even know existed. He hated the place; everyone was acting snobby and he really didn't know who to trust. The subjects were boring, the teachers were snobs, nobody was friendly. Worse, he could barely control his mutations at times and now he had to control them **_all_** the time.

Six months later, his parents had separated and another four months later were divorce. He was crushed because as much as he dislike their disagreements over every little thing, he at least knew where to come home to. Now with the divorce, which home is he coming home to? The question pondered his mind especially with Christmas coming nearer. He finally got his answer; they weren't coming to get him, he's spending his first Christmas away…**_away_**. That Christmas and the subsequent were spent in his school halls with other 'unfortunate' children like him.

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When he was about fifteen, Jesse was taken out from school on "health reasons". This time, he had another accident involving a high- profile student. Jesse was being picked on despite who his background was and on that particular day, he had phased through the wall in the locker room while one of the boys were choking him. He had appeared in the next room screaming in agony, unable to control his mutations, phasing in and out of focus. His parents flew in immediately and whisked him away.

His parents were trying to get him to undergo further treatments to control his mutations and Jesse had finally agreed. He packed his bags one more time although with much more dread then before. He knew the treatments were not going to be painless but he had no choice; he's embarrassing his parents enough and besides; he secretly hope that his parents would get back together in this "family crisis" and life would return back to the way it use to be --- normal; whatever that meant.

By now, Adam had acquired Shalimar; a feral that he had 'rescued' from a mental institution and fostered her as an apprentice to his work and he was anxious to enlist Jesse as the part of the team. He knew the 'further treatments' would be fatal to Jesse's immune systems and he would end up in a pod --- cytogenetically frozen in order to keep him alive till they found a cure. He has to get to him before its too late.

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"Adam, tell me why we're doing this again?" Shalimar stole a look at her 'father'. She was weary of the situation and her experience with Genomex, though limited were far from pleasant. Piloting the helix,

Adam looked back at her from his seat. "I knew Jesse since he was a babe. I can't just let those goons do whatever they want with him, not after all I've done to keep him alive; besides, I think you could do with a new team mate." he flashed Shalimar one of his rare smiles.

Shal rolled her eyes and tried to focus on the rescue mission that lay ahead of them. "Whatever," she muttered. She looked down at the scanner . "O.k., we're nearly there." She clicked a switch and the plane went to stealth mode. A few moments later, Adam had manoeuvred the helix to a landing position. "Alright, are we ready to do this?" Adam looked at Shalimar. "Of course," she replied, holding his gaze. "Now come on, times a wasting!"

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o.k..tt's it for now…I've squeeze my brains dry already.. and ..(yawns) it's late…but I'm going to the beach tmr (I mean today) so hopefully I could think of the next plot while relaxing…I'll try to make e next one longer…I shall try…so now..a little note to my reviewers: erm…as usual, not in any particular order:

Feline-feral : thanks for e encouragement! Hmm..u know wat…I seriously hope u didn't kill jesse in time jump…coz e plot would be so dry without him…lol! so PLEASE! don't kill him…k? I'll sent u a wallpaper if u don't. (bats eyelids innocently). Good job wif e stories!

Warrior of e shadow : hmm..u have such a complicated nick! Hey I'm just glad u like it so far…hope u liked this one too! keep reading ..oh..n review, of course!

Falcon wolf : yeah I know…sleep is so overrated, right? Lol! wolf crossing would be a cooler plot if u include more jesse!!!lol!!!nah just kidding!

Brennan's Angel : estatic to know u find the story cool…coz seriously e writer is sooo not! Lol! I've got u hooked around my little finger now, don't I? Don't worry …it's not a death grip…yet! (grins)

Framling : well…initially my story had dividers to differentiate the time but when I upload it..I don't usually bother to do anymore checking coz I'm too exhausted but apparently those lines get edited out by f.f…so go figure…I tried to do the plot this way. Hope it's not confusing u this time…I hope it doesn't get edited as much. Thanks for the proofreading offer…I'll try to remember u when I need one but usually I'm too lazy to email…sigh…no offend intended…just plan lazy!..but do continue reading n reviewing…even if I didn't offend u!lol!

Maz kazama : I'm thrilled u find little jesse cute…I think so too…but then again..I think he'll look cute no matter wat his age is…right? (winks) I'm sure u agree wif me there…lol! But of course we like to make our characters suffer…we're sadists, aren't we? (grins) I so love ur story…hurry up n update,k?

Molecular 12 : what's cool? The plot, jesse or me? Lol! Nah just pulling ur leg..of course it must be moi!lol! O.k…so jesse is ur favourite…well, he's mind too..otherwise this story won't happen!lol! Keep reading n reviewing, k?!

17/07/04

0300


	4. Chpt 4 Recovery

Disclaimer : If I own MX or any of its characters; Jesse and Brennan will be running around with tights all e time (wooohoo!). Now won't that just be easy on the eyes?! (winks) lol! Ooohh…behave!

U guys give the best reviews ever, as usual (grins). This is still the beginning of the story and MX hasn't yet been established but the com-links,e gadgets,etc were already there at least in this story. Hmm…I've had the plot in my mind for some time but have only got the time to type it out now. I always work best on a Saturday night, u know? (rolls eyes) coz as u've noticed, I don't have much of a life, lol! so anyway…enjoy e plot! And please, please, reviews…coz I get such a kick out of them. Pretty, please??!

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Chapter 4 : Recovering

By aniki19

Seven hours earlier…

The Kilmartins looked down from the observatory room into the medical laboratory below them where their son, Jesse was lying. .After a quick check-up, he was immediately sent here for treatment. Already the vast number of wires attached to him was worrying his mother but the scientist; Dr Harrison, assured her that it was just protocol, "to monitor his vitals, that's all". Dr Harrison then pressed the button for the speaker.

"Time, nineteen-hundred hours. Begin administration of V321 into subject 42", his voice boomed into the lab. His assistant clad in a white sterile uniform, looked up, nodded and picked up a syringe that contain a blue liquid; V321. He proceeded to inject the liquid into Jesse's I.V drip. Jesse could only looked on as the ice blue liquid went into his drip and onto his bloodstream. He hoped for the best.

Almost immediately, he buckled; consumed by the horrifying pain that's coursing through his veins. He started convulsing violently; massing and phasing uncontrollably, agony apparent on his face. His parents could only looked out helplessly at all the activities; alarm evident on their expressions. Jesse's father looked over at Harrison. "What's happening?! What went wrong?!!!!"

They were panicking; their only son were out of their reach, separated by the glass window. "McKenzie, 50cc of BC13, now!" an alarm Harrison instructed to his assistant. Again, Jesse was injected with another liquid, this time it was green in colour. The convulsion stopped and Jesse collapsed on the bed from fatigue. His muscles were screaming for relief and he closed his eyes; too exhausted to open them.

Noah Kilmartin grabbed Dr Harrison by the shoulders. "Calm down, Mr Kilmartin, calm down." Harrison tried to rectify the situation. "What were you doing? He could have died…?!" Noah burst out; his face red from trying to keep his anger under control.

"Calm down, Mr Kilmartin. I've instructed my assistant to administered another serum to stabilise his condition. Subject 42.."he glanced at Mrs Kilmartin pale face and quickly corrected himself. "I meant…Jesse will be fine. I shall keep him under observation and we'll get back to you after he wakes up." he continued; ushering both parents out of the observatory and into his office for a quick discussion on 'funding'. He took a quick glance at subject 42 and nodded to his assistant before exiting the room.

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Serum V321 was designed to break up the components of the mutated genes by drawing all the foreign cells in the body and clumping them together before destroying them. So far, this process should work--- theoretically and lab rat tests though few, proved to be successful. However Dr Harrison had anticipated something unlikely to come up given subject 42's already unstable molecular state. He had prepared another serum, BC13---a stronger dosage in comparison to V321 to counteract his mutations. He knew that subject 42 was going to be a very interesting experiment. Of course, in all the excitement this little vital information about BC13 had 'slipped' off his mind; relaying to the Kilmartins instead that it was merely a neutraliser. Down below, in the med-lab, Jesse slowly succumbs to the effects BC13 is having on his body. An hour later, he slipped into a coma.

After the Kilmartins had left, Dr Harrison continued with his treatments; monitoring and recording everything that happened. Every two hours since the first dosage of BC13, he administered another dose.

Finally, five hours since the coma, subject 42's body couldn't take it anymore and his heartbeat started to sky rocket. Harrison was away and his assistant, McKenzie was left in charge. He quickly injected the patient with a clear liquid to slow down his heartbeat. Slowly but surely, subject 42's heartbeat returned to normal. He breathe a sigh of relief but not for long. Five minutes later, the subject's respiration started to fail. He was having difficulties trying to get the patient to breathe. Left with no choice, he forced a respirator onto the subject. Then he quickly paged for Harrison.

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"What is it? This had better be important or else!" Dr Harrison arrived at the scene; his hair dishevelled. It was almost one in the morning and he was awaken rudely from his sleep---he was not in a good mood. When he saw Jesse's condition; all anger dissipated and he went into a blurry of actions. Already, the subject's heartbeat is slowing. The respirator was failing, which will only mean one thing; inevitable death. With a shake of his head; Harrison ordered McKenzie to bring in one of the pods. He had hoped that subject 42 would last a little bit longer but he was wrong. But he had to admit that subject 42 was stronger than most; he had outlast most of his peers if not older.

After sealing the subject in the pod and making sure that the life support system was online, Harrison looked up from the control room and sighed. In a couple of hours or so, the patient would be cytogenetically frozen. Well, he noted; back to the drawing board. And this time, he narrowed his eyes; I will not fail. With that he walked out from the control room and moved to his quarters; pondering over what he would tell the Kilmartins in less than eight hours later that morning.

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An hour later…

The security guard was fast asleep. Two foreign figures went by the security cameras unnoticed (This was before MX so there wasn't really any threats to the stability of Genomex yet; thus e lack of security---grins). Alighting from the lift, both figures in white coats walked steadily to what appears to be the mainframe computer. After a quick glance around; Shal was on watch duty while Adam went into the room to find out where they left Jesse. He hoped he was not too late.

Having gotten all the information that he needed and tripping the main security cameras, Adam left the room; startling Shalimar who was prowling outside. He gestured to her to keep her silence and moved to a quiet corner away from the security cameras. Although Adam had made sure they have passes with them; he knew he couldn't risk any security that came over to really scrutinise their I.Ds.

"So, what have we got?" Shal's eyes twinkled in anticipation. She just realised how exciting all this was and she was caught up in the adrenalin. She can't wait for some action.

"Whoa, cool it Shal. Alright, here's the deal; we're too late. They've already put him in the pod. Now, the freezing process doesn't start until they've got his systems back to normal and that usually takes about two to three hours. That leaves us only one hour or so to get to Jesse before it's too late to transport him on the Helix back to Sanctuary." Adam stops to contemplate the next course of action. "Shal, I need you to fire up the Helix and bring it as close as possible to the lift at the rooftop. I'm going to bring Jesse up along with the pod." Shal considered the thought and ask, "Are you sure? It's going to be really difficult to manoeuvre such a huge thing all by yourself. Why not just get Jesse out of the pod? Won't that be easier?"

Adam sighed. He knew this was going to happen. "By the time the scientists realises the need to put the patient into the pod, it simply means that its too late---it's either the pod or death. If I took Jesse out of the pod; he'll be dead in less than 5 minutes. I can't afford that to happen; not after all I've been through."

"But…how are you going to accomplish such a feat? I have to help you, don't I?" Shalimar expresses her concern. "Why don't you worry about firing up the Helix and leave that part to me; I know you have yet to be part of the action but I really need you there, alright?" Adam tried to reassure his ward.

"Alright, fine. Have it your way" with that said, Shalimar stormed off; back where they came from. Adam shook his head and proceeded to the main laboratory where all the pods were situated. On a hunch; he changed course and proceeded to the left instead of the right. Because Jesse has yet to be frozen, he could still be in the med-lab. Normally, my instincts are good; so Jesse, you'd better be there; hang on, Jess, I'm coming.

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He came to a small room and after keying in some codes; opened the door and went in. The room was silent if not for the quiet beeping of the heart monitor in the middle of the room. He walked over to the pod and looked in to check whether it was Jesse. Hmm…a little older but that's to be expected; he muse to himself. But the innocence is still there even after all these years, he gave a sad smile; looking in on the comatose figure lying in the 'ice-box'. He quickly surveyed the monitor and once he confirmed that Jesse has stabilised he went out to get some 'assistance'.

" Hey you; yes, you…officer…?" Adam stops a guard out on his break. Adam did a quick glance at the name tag and said "Williams, right? Could you do me a favour and help me to move this patient to the lift?" He indicated to Jesse's pod. "He's stabilising and we need to move him up to the monitoring room".

The guard gave Adam a look that would have been murder but then he sighed and said, "Sure, what else do I have to do, huh?". Adam gave him a cheery smile and proceeded to take all the monitors off; taking care not to trigger any alarms that might arouse suspicion. "I'm really sorry about this. My colleague who's supposed to be here called in sick and now I'm stuck with this patient all by myself." Adam tried to make idle conversation. The security merely grunted; the pod was heavy!

Soon, after much shoving and pushing, they got the pod to the lift. "Thank you…officer Williams, I'll put in a good word for you to your superior. I'll take over from here. The monitoring room is nearby and I can ask one of the scientists to help. Thank you!" Adam managed to exclaimed before the doors of the lift closed.

In the lift, Adam contacted Shalimar. "Alright Shal, I'm coming up to the roof now; I need you to stand by the lift and keep the helix doors open.". "Uh-huh, copy that." came the curt reply. Sighing, Adam knew he had offended Shal…but that have to wait till we get back.

Just then, the lift doors open and suddenly the alarm sounded; echoing in the still of the night. "Hurry! We've been found," Shalimar quickly assist Adam with the bulk of the pod and together they pushed the pod into the helix.

Within a minute, they were airborne and far away from Genomex. As Shal adjusts the coordinates to Sanctuary and steers the plane into auto-pilot; she pushed back her chair and walked over to Adam; curiosity overpowering her annoyance with Adam. Looking down, she saw a pale face not more than sixteen underneath the glass. So, this is the famous Jesse Kilmartin.

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Whew! Another chpt done…hurray!!!lol!…sigh..I really must stop eating so much chocolates…they leave you restless afterwards…lol…n giggling everything!lol! But the point is I finish this chpt! So tt's gd, right?

Any how…a few thanks n notes to u reviewer out there…hmm…I think this would be a regular coz I like interaction…so in no particular preference :

Feline-feral : Where's e continuation u promised? Hurry…!I'm badgering you now! Lol!I'm sure it's gonna be wonderful..so I want to know! please hurry! Ooohh by the way; I did have fun at the bitch..ooppss I mean beach! Lol! Almost lost my glasses in the water but managed to find it in e end…now I have a nice tan and my cheeks r rosy!yup1 I am one of those ppl who don't blush..so yeah..I quite like the aftermath…now hurry,I want to read it!

FalconWolf3 : Estatic that ur gonna write a story just for moi (Lifts hand to forehead and faints dramatically) hehehe…can't wait! Been enjoying ur stories so far so the anticipation is killing me…aarrgghh!!(wakes up n realises wat was written sounded desperate) sorry…chocolate overloading does that to you… yes…I will review it as soon as I get to read it!

Laily : Lol!you sadist you…u want Jesse to die?!!!!do u realise the no. of flames I will get if I did tt?! (evil grins) we shall see coz I've yet to plan e ending…but my other story was already a death fic..well e 2nd part anyway…so behave, girl! Please don't take forever to post ur stories! I hope u score all As for ur next tests so u can devote the rest of the semester to ur stories. Aren't I such a good soul with selfish intentions? (evil grin)…yeah I know…jesse is adorable either way!I mean…younger or older o.k…!

Warrior of the shadow : love ur reviews…love the fact that u like jesse more!hahaha! there's never enough plots out there wif a jesse theme anyway, so may I suggest u get down to it?! hint, hint! nah u just take ur time n a great story will come by ur way and don't worry, I'll be e 1st to review, k?

Uber-kludge : ahah! Another victims to succumb to the allure of my plot! I'm humbled by ur late nights of reading my stories..but that doesn't mean I'm apologising for making u stay up late! Anyhow…continue reading! And reviewing! Coz like I said..I don't have a life..u guys r my life…lol!

K…tt's abt it…my bed is sooo inviting rite now, gd nite!

25/07/04

03:52


	5. Chpt 5 Reawakenings

EDO Chapter 5 - Reawakening

By aniki19

Disclaimers : u know e routine… they're not mine…please don't rub it in by suing me

* * *

Back at the lab, Adam was frantically doing his best to find a neutraliser for serum BC13. Fortunately, before making his way out from Genomex, he managed to obtain an original sample of BC13 and a vial of Jesse's blood. Looking over behind his shoulder, he gave a quick glance at the grey container, now occupying almost a third of the med bay. He sighed and went back to the work at hand. It's now a race against time.

**-------**

Shalimar peeked in to watch Adam at work. It's been almost eight hours since they rescued Jesse and he had been at it since then. She remembered him mentioning that the first twelve hours after being cytogenetically frozen were vital if you need to wake the patient. Any longer the risk of brain damage increases with the time spent in the pod. She cringed as Adam vent out his frustrations at another failed attempt. She saw that the vial of blood has almost been used up. He's going to run out of blood samples to do more tests soon.

She shook her head and sighed. Making her way into the middle of the room; she stopped to take a look at the object of Adam's frustrations. Well, he's kind of cute; she thought. Jesse, you've got to wake up. If only for me to kick your sorry butt for putting us through all this for you. Alright, I'm just kidding…just wake up, ok? Please?

-**-------**

Finally, after almost ten hours since Adam first laid eyes on Jesse, he found a neutraliser for the serum. Since he couldn't open the pod without putting his ward's life in danger, he proceeded to administer the antidote through vapour; all the time monitoring Jesse's vitals on the monitor.

The yellow gas slowly infiltrates the pod chamber. Few minutes later he flushed it out with oxygen into the chamber and then another booster of the neutraliser. He kept doing that for the next half hour or so, careful to notice of any change in Jesse's vitals.

* * *

He was floating in darkness for quite some time…that much he knew. He didn't remember much about how he got here but he knew he like it. He didn't know whether he was dreaming or not, except the fact that he felt really light and very, very calm. He hadn't felt this way since; hell, he's never felt this peaceful before. He felt comforted; here of all places. Slowly, he became aware of a little light and he frowned, looking for it's source that's disturbing his tranquillity. Jesse opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

It took him a while to get adjusted to the harsh lights after so long in the darkness and for his conscious to kick in. Then when he finally took stock of where he was; he started to panicked. White walls confine him in his space with a glass window overlooking him. It reminded him of his many nightmares of being buried alive and his childhood when his mother had kept him in the dark closet whenever she entertained guests and he wasn't on his best behaviour. Where am I? He looked around frantically. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of brown eyes looking down on him. He stared back, willing those eyes to help him get out of this claustrophobic prison.

* * *

The shrill alarm from the monitor jolted Adam from his slumber. Oh no, he's going into shock. Jesse's heart rate was rocketing and the sharp beeping was worrying. Yet Adam dared not open the pod for fear that Jesse's condition hasn't stabled enough. All he could do was stare in silence and prayed like he never prayed before for the god he thinks existed somewhere. He waited impatiently for the gas to dissipate so he could look in to the glass to check out on Jesse.

Shalimar rushed in to the lab at the first sound of trouble. She stopped and stared at Adam. What is he doing? Jesse's in trouble. She went over to the pod to try to pry the thing open.

"No, stop!" he exclaimed. " No Shalimar, I'm still not sure how stable he is yet. It's too dangerous to open the pod." He walked quickly to where she was. The last of the yellow vapour cleared and he took a chance to look in. To his dismay he was staring back at frighten blue eyes; pleading for help; for mercy. Damn, this should not be happening! He shouldn't be awake, not now; not yet.

"Hang on Jesse, hang on…just one more flush and then we can get you out." he whispered softly.

* * *

In a blink of an eye, those brown eyes were gone. Where did he go? He started to panic. What is this place? He tried to push his way out; tried to break the small window. Anything , he just want to get out. Why can't I get out ?! Oh god. He could feel the walls closing in on him; his worst fears coming true.

No one is going to get him out of here. He could feel a yellow mist descending on him. Oh god. What is this stuff? He could feel his throat constricted; the mist filling up his lungs. He could hardly breathe. He started coughing; panic-stricken. I'm never going to get out. His breathing coming to raspy wheezes, he could already feel the darkness creeping back to his conscious. Oh god, no…before complete darkness envelope him in their embrace.

* * *

"Bbeeeeppp…!!!" Adam was alerted by the shrill alarm. He's stopped breathing! Fingers furiously typing away on the keyboard; he struggled to make sense of the situation at hand. Staring at the monitor; his worst fears came true. Jesse's heart had stopped beating.

No, not now; not yet! Again he waited for the gasses to be fully emitted. Come on Jesse, you can't do this to me. The minutes ticked by.

He knew the risks but he couldn't resist; his heart is breaking. He proceeded o open the pod. Jesse was pale; his lips a cold cruel colour of blue; his face deprived of any colour. Oh god. He began administration of revival. Shalimar had already switched on the defibrillator machine. The humming of the machine seemed to go on forever before he could start shocking him. He placed the pads on Jesse's chest. It's been almost four minutes since his heart stopped beating and the brain was cut off from its supply of oxygen. He prays he is not too late. "Clear!"

* * *

Almost a month had gone past. Jesse was on the road to full recovery from the effects of the serum. However, Adam was still worried. Jesse hadn't mentioned anything about his parents, hadn't asked any question about going home or anything. He had been spending most of his time alternating between his room and the computers. Though he may be physically getting better; his psychology is still questionable.

A few times Adam tried to bring up the subject but Jesse either kept his silent or simply changed the subject; although he did made one thing clear --- he didn't want to go home.

In the end Adam gave up trying to get him to open up; leaving the job to Shalimar. He monitored his health and showed him how to better control his powers but she was the one who coaxed him out of his shell, showing him all the wonders of life; wonders of feeling belonged. Those two became close --- sharing a bond almost like family. And in time, Jesse took his place as the second member of Mutant X.

Yet, Adam worries about him were not over. He still hadn't found a way to stabilise Jesse's molecular structure and he knows that Jesse is due for another one of his growth 'spurts' soon and by the looks of it, it could be Jesse's last.

* * *

Six years later…and present day

They have all the ones they need to make their mission possible. Emma and Brennan were recruited about six months ago and two had turned into four; Mutant X is now complete.

Adam sighed. Jesse's condition had been stable the past couple of years or so since he was rescued and just when he thought the inevitable wouldn't happen; it did. He brushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. Jesse is fast approaching his 23rd year. Time is not going to be on his side.

Looking at his ward lying on the bed in the med bay; he couldn't help but wonder what would really happened if he hadn't interfered from the very beginning. If he could turn back time given the opportunity, he would do everything exactly the same --- no regrets. He only regretted not having thought of a backup plan in case something did went wrong with his treatments. Again, he sighed. He's only human.

--------

Looking at Adam through the tinted glass --- absorbed in his own world; was Shalimar. She had suspected something was going on with Jesse when she found him unconscious that morning and for the first time since his rescue from Genomex; she was afraid that this time it was something worse; something that not even Adam could solve. She wondered when Adam would break the news to them; to her.

* * *

(sheepish grin) whoops! Sorry u guys; I've made u wait so long for this chpt but I couldn't get it all together till now. Um…am actually trying to study for my exams in less than a months time and then I thought I better get this off my chest before I truly start to concentrate on the task at hand (crosses fingers).

Anyway…I'm going to get back to the present now and on to the actual plot.

I want to thank all those who have been sooo patiently waiting n for putting up wif me…love u guys!

Katknits00 : o.k…I've updated…like finally! lol! Did I made u more frustrated coz u want to know more? I hope so. Well did u like it…or wat? Review please!

**PyrokineticFeral**: glad u liked the previous chpts n this story…hope u like this one enuff to review. Have u read my previous story? Pls do..I love to hear wat u think on tt one. Loved ur stories so far…so keep up e gd wrk. Sorry abt not updating faster but I'm getting there.

Brennan's Angel : am estatic and humbled tt u love the plot(gives the angel a chocolate chip cookie…aaww…changes her mind and gives the whole bag)! Soory if I've yet to reviewed any of ur stories but I'm not into so much of brennan/Shalimar thingy..I am a jesse-slave..lol! But when I do…I'll be sure to leave u a review…

Brigitta1 : Oh please, please say tt u could read the past few chpts…and please,please..do review this one…I love ur comments…but I seriously love ur stories…ur really good wif the emotional stuff..u should write more!

Feline-feral : aww…glad ur loving my story..and come on..u must give urself some credit. Ur plots are not only fine;they're good! just update 'time jump', please?!!! (bats eyelids furiously) I wanna know how they managed to revive the 'jesses'…

Falconwolf3 : Thank u sooo much for the beta-ing and the wonderful suggestions! (sents out hugs and kisses to Brenda) U've been a great help…rest assured I will put them into good use (evil grin). As for making this a death fic…I'm still contemplating but I think so…I quote.. " someone has to die if only so that ppl will value life more" but hey I could change my mind…or do wat I did previously…(shrugs shoulders). So when's the new story coming up? I can't wait for tt one! Keep up the excellent wrk so far!

p.s…must confess tt I've been kinda busy also coz…(horrors of horrors!) I've been hook on reading fan fiction on Nysnc! The ones wit slash terms in them r just sooo hilariously funny. Those authors r sick and I love them…they really brighten up my day…lol!…


	6. Chpt 6 Unexpected News

Disclaimer : sighs see other chpts.

****

EDO - Chapter 6 : News

By aniki19

"Adam, this had better be good." Brennan warned. He had just come back from a late night out and being woken up at eight in the morning with a headache the size of Manhattan was not his idea of a great day.

"Aaww…did Mr Hot Stuff had a rough night?" Shal teased. She and Emma had already taken a seat and were both grinning at his expense.

Bren stared at her from his blood-shot eyes. He was getting frustrated. All he wants to do is crawl back to bed. He wished Adam would hurry up. He paused to ponder why Adam called a meeting in the den. Looking at Adam, he noticed that Adam look a little more haggard than usual. He frowns. _Hmm, it seems serious_. He started to tense as Adam sighed. Catching Emma eyes, he just knew that today was not going to be a great day.

------

"No, say it isn't so. Please Adam, it can't be happening; not now," Shalimar whispered, eyes pleading with him to tell her it wasn't so. She was in the med bay, sitting next to the silent figure lying on the bed; stroking his forehead. She had been there ever since Adam broke the news to them that morning. And now it's been almost fourteen hours since then.

Reaching out to touch her, he put his hands on her shoulders and squeeze. "I'm still trying my best, Shal. I'm not giving up on him yet, you should have more faith in him. He's not as weak as you think he is; Jesse is strong. He'll pull through. You'll see," Adam tried to comfort Shalimar. "Now it's getting late, you need your rest; it's been a hard day for you---for all of us. Come on Shal; try to get some sleep, alright? I'll stay here with him. Go on."

Reluctantly, Shalimar made her way out of the lab. She gave Jesse a kiss on his forehead before saying goodnight and making her way to her room. Before she left, she looked at Adam straight in the eye and said, "Make him better, Adam; _please_," she pleaded.

------

Watching Shalimar leave, a tinge of sadness tugged Adam's heartstrings. He dread to think what would happen to Shalimar, to the rest of the team should the inevitable happen. He shuddered; wondering what would happen to him.

Picking up where he had left his research before interrupting Shal, he ran another test for the umpteenth time on a sample of clear liquid he had been tinkering with for the past fourteen hours. With a loud bleep, the scans indicated that the outcome from the serum seems positive…yet…Adam has his doubts. The serum will work for now but for the long run; he couldn't be sure.

Jesse's condition deteriorates with each passing hour. If before, he slipped in and out of consciousness; he was now in a coma. The rest of the team knows that the inevitable would happen but Adam won't resort to giving up hope. _No, not yet_, he prayed silently before injecting Jesse with the clear liquid --- a suppressor intended to slow down his mutations to a controlled level. _It's out of my hands now_; _be strong Jesse_.

And he waited.

I am so sorry about the short chapter but my muse has gone in hiding n I'm at e point where I wonder whether to stop here or continue with another story. Seriously, I think I want to end this story but I'm not too sure how to go about it exactly. N so I did this chapter out of guilt feelings for all e reviews I gotten…especially for childofgod; this chpt was written especially for u! I have a million n one plots running thru my head…each one more ridiculous than e next so…suggestions r greatly anticipated n comments (good or bad ones..though I prefer e good) r greatly valued.

30/11/04 00:18


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